Katy Perry

We're going to try to discuss Katy Perry's debut without mentioning anything gay, which isn't going to be easy since Perry's made her career with two camp-lite, Sapphic-sampling singles. But we think there's more to Perry than shtick (besides, the gay-for-pay gimmick got old 'round about t.A.T.u.): Girlfriend knows her way around a sassy pun ("Mannequin") and, honey, what a diva ("If You Can Afford Me"). And she sings like the love child of Melissa Etheridge, k.d. lang and an anonymous sperm donor, all heart-on-her-sleeve power and showy subtlety. Actually, Katy, maybe Ur so gay.

"I hope you hang yourself with your H&M scarf/While jacking off listening to Mozart," Katy
Perry tells her metrosexual ex on "Ur So Gay." Risqué words, coming from the daughter of
two Christian pastors who only let her listen to gospel tunes as a kid. Now 23, the L.A.
singer bucks the WWJD'ers with a debut full of mall-punky, grrrl-power tunes produced by
Glen Ballard (Alanis Morissette) and Dr. Luke (Avril Lavigne). But her attention-gr... More >